Are you a luxury traveler headed to Brazil? For most of the time since we started covering the country in 2008, we could only make a few recommendations and then say, “Good luck!” Even when Rio was hosting the Olympics, the pickings were slim. As new properties have opened and existing ones invested in renovations, however, we have expanded our first-person reviews of the best Rio de Janeiro luxury hotels.
Most foreign visitors come to Rio to enjoy the famous beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, or Barra da Tijuca. The first two are close to most of the attractions too, while the latter beach is actually the longest. You can pick your spot on any of these now for a luxury hotel stay. Or head up into the hills to stay at MGallery Santa Teresa RJ.
You now have a few different international chains to pick from too if you have a favorite or are part of a loyalty program. In all of these, you’ll want to look into options for suite upgrades or at least get a room with a view. The vista from your balcony in Rio de Janeiro can be stunning.
Here are the Luxury Latin America picks for the best luxury hotels in Rio. As with the rest of our rundowns of the best places to stay in Brazil, these are in alphabetical order.
Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel
This is the original luxury hotel in Brazil, the one hosting celebrities and heads of state back in the glory days of Bossa Nova and still getting a steady stream of them today. It’s a classic luxury hotel that really makes you feel like you’re rubbing shoulders with movers and shakers and the property has done a great job of continually updating the rooms and facilities without losing the essence of its history.
Inside and out, Copacabana Palace lives up to its name and is still the prestige address on Copacabana Beach. See our full review here.
Emiliano Rio
At the other end of the hipness scale is Emiliano, a modern design hotel geared to the artistic and fashion-conscious types looking for the cool place to stay on Brazil’s most famous beach. Filled with aloof staffers and Instagram-ready furniture, it has an attractive restaurant lit by a skylight, with three walls covered by a lush vertical garden.
Up on the rooftop you get a lounge chair with a view over the beach and a long rectangular pool for cooling off. Several bars and sitting areas are scattered throughout, plus there’s a spa. With just 90 rooms, this feels like an intimate boutique hotel. See our full Emiliano Rio review.
Fairmont Rio de Janeiro Copacabana
Located at the southern end of Copacabana Beach near Emiliano, this building is not so easy on the eyes as the others. It opened in 1979 under a different name and for a while was a Sofitel before closing in 2017. It is now part of the upscale Fairmont chain and is looking quite attractive once you get inside.
This is a full-service hotel with 375 rooms and plenty of amenities, plus the space to house some comfortable suites like the one pictured above. A full spa joins several swimming pools and a beach club across the street exclusively for guests. You’ll also get some exclusivity at the Gold Level, which comes with extra lounge perks.
This Fairmont Hotel in Brazil also scores high for its sustainability efforts, earning it the only Green Key designation in the city. See our detailed Fairmont Rio review here.
Grand Hyatt Rio
One of the more recent large hotel additions to the city, the Grand Hyatt Rio is the longest way out from the main attractions, but that brings its own rewards. It sits on 11-mile-long Barra da Tijuca Beach, in an area known for upscale condos and luxury shopping.
There’s a well-regarded Japanese restaurant, a buffet option, and a poolside restaurant, plus a 24-hour fitness center with classes. With everything looking new and the kind of facilities that come with newer construction, this feels more like a standard beach resort than the skinny properties along the closer beaches.
The resort has two large outdoor pools—one for families and one for adults only. And that lovely stretch of Barra da Tijuca Beach is directly across the road in front of the resort where the Grand Hyatt Rio operates a beach club with lounge chairs and umbrellas exclusively for guests.
See our review of Grand Hyatt Rio.
Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro
We have reviewed several Fasano hotels in Brazil and Uruguay and mentioned them in our round-up of top regional luxury hotel chains in Latin America. They made a big splash when they opened here on Ipanema Beach in 2007 in a property designed by pioneer Philippe Starck. Since then they have managed to remain on top since as the place to see and be seen.
This is true for locals as well, making the pool and bar scene lively even when occupancy is low. The Gero Restaurant is a popular local spot as well, plus some public spaces provide a killer view with your cocktail, like the one at the top of this post.
This property only has 89 rooms, 10 of them suites, and the bilingual service has come a long way toward perfection as this Fasano Hotel edges toward its 20th birthday. See our Fasano Rio review for more.
JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro
If you feel positive and happy when you say, “This feels like a Marriott,” you’ll be happy with this upscale hotel of theirs in a prime spot on Copacabana Beach. When I was there having a drink and a meal, I heard more English than I had the whole time in Brazil and every customer-facing staffer was fluent.
The property makes good use of its space in the lobby, with a grand chandelier over a semi-circular bar, flanked by a grand piano and plenty of sitting areas. The other big gathering space is on the roof, where a pool, lounge, and restaurant have a view of the ocean and beach.
You get all the expected JW Marriott room amenities here, as well as your loyalty points or status, and they are used to taking care of the needs of those combining business with pleasure. It’s worth upgrading to the executive level here just to get the terrific 18-degree view from the lounge. See our first-person review of JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro.
MGallery Santa Teresa RJ Hotel
Recently added to our site, this upscale boutique hotel is the best place to stay for those who would rather spend time in the city rather than on the beach. One of the ways to get here and back is on a cable car that makes you feel like you’re going back in time.
The spot where the hotel is located dates back to the 1850s. It was originally a boarding house then French owners turned it into a boutique hotel and, over the years, the facilities were expanded and improved. MGallery Santa Teresa is now part of the Accor group of hotels within their MGallery sub-group of properties which have a mandate to employ and advance women. When I stayed at this hotel, women made up the bulk of the leadership team including the general manger, the executive chef, and other key positions.
This is a serene spot to relax in rather than a place to gaze at the oceans and drink cocktails with your feet in the sand. The hotel’s lauded Tereze restaurant is another draw, getting a recommendation in the Michelin guide to Rio de Janeiro. For some mouth-watering food shots from there and more, see our full review of MGallery Santa Teresa Hotel.
If something new and noteworthy opens in the coming years, we’ll be there and will add to our reviews of the best Rio de Janeiro luxury hotels and resorts. Unlike when we launched many years ago though, now you could spend one night each in a different property and be set for a week.
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